Repeat after me: “I am a badass.”

Dear new solo-preneur/coach/small business owner,

I mean it with this page’s headline. Really. Try it on, and say it out loud!

Because we need to believe it in our bones as we enter solo-preneur adventure land.

Regardless of the modality, whether it’s coaching, nutrition, direct sales or personal trainers, people drawn to starting their own businesses seem to have this in common: we are passionate about serving others and living life our own way.

We’re not just working… 

We’re embodying our values through the type of business we build and the impact those businesses have on the world.

We’re intrinsically mission driven and we don’t clock-in or out because HOW we live is intertwined with WHAT we produce in our work. 

Just like you, I’m an intrepid solo-preneur who’s chosen personal development coaching, yoga and speaking as the canvas of my work-life. As you might have found out by now, running your own business is just as much an adventure in self-discovery as it is business building.

At various points I’ve:

• Had trouble prioritizing and knowing what to do when

• Split hairs over what additional training I “need” 

• Fought off aggressive marketing promising to turn me into a 6 figure business in lickety split time

• Battled (and still battle) imposter syndrome

I’m not a business guru – far from it. I’m still finding my own way and continuing to refine my approach to being in business for myself. While there are great books out there about creative resistance, the philosophy of an entrepreneur and deep dives into the inner workings of great companies, when I started my LLC, I wished I could have had a punchy how-to resource that distilled disparate business ideas into a digestible format that pushed me into action in the right direction.

This page is exactly that: the manual for new solo-preneurs that I would have loved to have when I quit my job. It contains lessons I learned the hard way (so you might not have to), wisdom from deeply experienced self-employed mentors, my coach and friends with C-suite experience. My hope is that some nugget in this page will inspire a paradigmatic shift in how you work.

If you benefit from this page, my asks are simple:

• Most importantly: share it with other new solo-preneurs who might find this information useful so they can catalyze their progress

• Join me as I continue to find the middle way in my The Middle Wei newsletter I release each month

Go forth, and crush it.

– Wei-Ming

Do something. Anything.

Intellectually you can get so caught up in ‘Ok what if I did that and this...’

Stop trying to see 10 steps ahead. If you can only see a few steps ahead, just go do anything. It doesn't even matter what you do as long as you do something. You're going to be embarrassed by the V1... Go do anything. The first thing you try is almost guaranteed not to work. So don't give up, just try the next thing and the next thing and the next thing.

– Brian Armstrong, Co-Founder, Coinbase

Almost everything about starting things from scratch stems from this core idea.

When learning an instrument, one might start with learning how to read music. Then start playing notes, chords and drills. It’s a progressive learning process.

Starting a small business, however, is not exactly linear nor step-by-step. You can pretty much choose your own adventure. In this way it’s tremendously freeing yet simultaneously stultifying… WHAT do I do first? Don’t I need X before Y?

No, you don’t need a website, business cards or your [insert whatever else is stopping you from doing things] first. Doing anything is better than waiting and planning the perfect move. Take a step – at first any step. And the path will unfold. Staying in the waiting place, however, will keep you, well, in the waiting place.

Relentlessly bias towards action when it's warranted (hint hint, it’s warranted most of the time).

On clients

Once upon a time at my old job, a colleague mentioned in a casual conversation “I want you to be my life coach.” My ears perked up. I wasn’t a coach. I was just me.

A few weeks later, I proposed the idea of working together even though I had no formal training. I wrote a contract, we agreed to a small sum per session (more to create mutual commitment than generate revenue), and I coached him for 3 months.

Although I was probably a terrible coach, I loved the work and he found value in it. I thought: “If I can find one person to pay me with no training, no website and no marketing… This will work.” Fast forward through an extensive coach training program and quitting my 9-to-5 and here we are.

Regardless of what type of service you’re providing, if you don’t have a paying client yet, find one. It doesn’t matter where you are in training, graduated, or if you have no training at all. If you’re serving people powerfully pro-bono, chances are your clients want to pay you if they can.

Getting paid sooner than later will also boost your self-esteem and confidence. It’s our version of a beta test. If someone is willing to pay you $20, that means you’re doing something right. 

On confidence

I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be and I finally became that person. Or he became me. Or we met at some point.

– Cary Grant

If these badasses deal with it, I don’t anticipate imposter syndrome to stop any time soon.

Hearing a voice saying you’re not worthy? That you’re not ready? That you won’t make a difference? Albeit uncomfortable, this is a good sign… It means you’re going out of your comfort zone. And that, of course, is where we grow.

I’m battling imposter syndrome too. Sometimes when I teach yoga, there’s a little voice in my head whispering to me how the class is no good or people aren’t enjoying the experience. When my coach gives me positive feedback, or my clients wax prolific about my impact, a piece of my consciousness says “you’re not good enough.”

Don’t let that pernicious voice stop you from serving people and putting yourself out there in ways that stretch you. Blogging, posting on InstaTwittTok, getting involved with a community, seeking out speaking engagements, getting interviewed on a podcast, launching a Kickstarter, whatever. Just get after it. And keep doing it.

Be a fucking business

You’re making money on your own. Whether you like it or not, you are a business. You are the brand.

Think and act like one.

A mentor of mine exhorted me to remember the buyer’s frame of reference. He said “Every interaction you have with [a potential client] is an opportunity to communicate value or reduce value. Always.”

Design everything from the buyers perspective backwards. Provide a best-in-class experience for your people. Do what you say you’ll do. Make it easy to book time with you. Make them say “WOW, signing up with you was the easiest thing I ever did!” 

Sending invoices IS coaching

I hear this a lot. I love coaching, BUT I hate _______. I DON’T like __________.

Start liking it. Better yet, start loving it. (Ok, you got me. Even I don’t love it). 

The service we’re providing is likely the thing we truly love to do. It’s our life-fulfilling mission. Underneath the hood, accounting is undeniably a piece of the business machine. So is your scheduling site. Your email signature. Photography. Contact management. The list goes on.

Have FUN with your systems. Tweaking them. Figuring out how to be more efficient with your invoicing so you do less of it. Noodling around on your website. Building your skills at writing, speaking, creating.

Get your systems on lock. You’re a business. Act like one.

On scrappiness

 scrap·py /ˈskrapē/ adj having an aggressive and determined spirit: feisty

– Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 11th edition

Staying scrappy is a mindset I inherited from working at Tuft & Needle, a bootstrapped direct-to-consumer mattress company. Starting with $6000 in savings between the co-founders, the company scaled to revenue exceeding $100 million in a few short years with no funding.

One doesn’t reach such lofty heights without being judicious with cash. At Tuft & Needle, the guiding principle was to do tasks manually or build a tool internally before investing in the latest shiny technology.

It’s alluring to sign up for courses, workshops and subscription services that claim to level you up or significantly add to your value proposition.

If someone’s claiming to give you the edge to fast-track your business or a company is marketing their service for “only” a few dollars per client… Buyer beware. As a small business owner, we’re fresh targets for others to make money on.

Could you use software you already own to mimic the service they’re selling?

Can you go without entirely?

Do you need another certification right now?

Guard the treasure chest. Remember that free webinars or courses are putting YOU into the top of THEIR marketing funnel.

On folly

“Soon you will have forgotten all things; and soon all things will have forgotten you.”

– Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

This page has a bit of a serious tone, because we’re embarking on what can feel like a serious mission.

But it’s equally important to remember our place in history… We are but a brief chapter in the inexorable procession of time. We’re going to die one day, and eventually no one will remember us or what we built.

As you embark on your small business adventure, the stakes may feel extraordinarily high, but remember fear is created in our heads. Though what we build will impact ourselves and others in meaningful ways, if you zoom out far enough, entire societies fade into distant memory. We will too.

SW, SW, SW, SW. N!

Some will, some won’t, so what, someone’s waiting. NEXT!

A nice little mantra to keep in mind for the drive required to stay in the building mentality. To continue inviting others to experience your unique gifts. Again and again and again.

Get gritty and be relentless.

It’s not their job to call you

Another priceless mentor wisdom bomb. 💥💣🧨

It’s not your prospective client’s job to call you. It’s your job to call them.

If you were your own employee, would you be earning your keep based on the amount of outreach you’re doing? Be honest. No one’s looking.

Transparently, there was a time when I would have fired myself for procrastinating and excuse-making my way out of uncomfortable, unfamiliar business-owner tasks like direct outreach.

If someone ghosts you, or doesn’t respond, don’t take it personally. Life can be hectic. Calling YOU back to pay you money for a service they may not need is likely not top on their list of to-dos. You might need to call multiple times before someone is ready.

We’re in the relationships business

A close friend has a booming direct sales business. Being in her circle is an absolute blessing. She’s endlessly thoughtful, intentional to a T and her clients feel it. They are her fervent promoters and repeat customers. Because she prioritizes their relationship, not their business.

I’ve read content from people who market their business development services to fledgling solo-preneurs saying “we’re in the sales business” and I encourage you to ditch that idea promptly.

We’re here to serve people and build relationships. If you think about the short term of selling, getting a huge audience and making the big bucks, you may get the $ now, but miss the long tail of a loyal fan.

Generate goodwill, serve people and the universe can’t help but serve you too.

Plant a lot of fucking seeds

My coach gave me this nugget: The sales cycle in client based service can be really long. Maybe on the timescale of years.

Get out there, talk to people and plant those seeds. Water some of them. They might need tending, and they might sprout soon.

Some of them, jeez, forget about them (especially the ones that don’t feel like a good match for you). If you’re spreading enough seeds, you can’t tend them all.

But don’t watch them. They’re growing. Or maybe they died. Which is fine. We’re planting a bunch.

On time

There’s a limitless number of things you could be doing at any given time: learning, reading, networking, napping, social media-ing, eating, writing, recording, resting, coaching, calling, emailing, watching TV (do the last one as little as possible).

But each moment, you can only do ONE of them well. So do it (whatever it is). Do the other stuff in due time. Mark time for X. Mark time for Y. And mark time for self-care.

Consider how you best work and block out your time on your calendar. REALLY. You probably said “oh yeah, I should do that” at least once before (as did I). But now that we’re our own bosses, we better obey our calendar like it’s sacred or risk finding ourselves scrambling and frazzled.

Remember to breathe, have fun, and take care

If you’re like me, when you get into the groove, you sometimes forget to eat or drink. Your breathing gets shallow and tight. BREATHE!

For the love of God, take care of yourself. Eat well, exercise, prioritize your mental health, and refill your own cup, because you know as much as I do: serving others is not easy work. 

I like taking a short (approximately 26 minute) yoga nidra nap during the workday to recharge. I mean, why else do we want to work for ourselves?

Remember to have fun!!! We’re the creators of our life path on this journey. Although there’s bound to be challenge, we can also find ways to keep our work and life full of aliveness. ✨

Find and foster community

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

– Saying with many supposed origins

It can be very isolating to start your own business.

Find friends who are doing similar things and support each other. Find mentors who can give you a sanity check and healthy perspective!

The End

Although this is the end of the page, I hope that it’s the beginning of new possibilities for you. See below for some curated tools and tid-bits that could be useful fuel for your journey.

Namasté 💙

Resources

Right brain stuff (creative)

Jim Collins – Author and researcher on business management/sustainability. We’re not the first ones to start something from scratch. Learn from the best.

The Pomodoro technique – I love this productivity technique. When I use it, I produce more and feel more sustainable. When I don’t use it… Let’s not go there. Summary: Work single-mindedly for 25 minutes, take a 5 minute rest (I like to move my body during the break). Rinse and repeat. Get shit done.

Books books books – I’m profligate with my book spending. A $10 book could alter the way I think about the world. Why wouldn’t I invest?

On pricing yourself – For coaches specifically: Search “Pricing & Packages.” Watch it. Choose a number that makes you a bit uncomfortable. Memorize it. Say it. Shut up.

One writing tip – Eliminate unnecessary words.

Left brain stuff (logical)

Wave – Searching for the “right” invoicing/accounting software stops here. Free to use, has the functionality of a full-on accounting software and it’s a breeze to invoice. Industry standard processing fees for CC and bank transfers are how they stay in business.

Trello – Totally free task management software. Yes, the free version is slightly more limited than their fully featured one, but it helps me keep track of workflows, manage my to-do’s, and collect thoughts.

Calendly – Scheduling software that allows you one bookable event type for free. I’ve heard Acuity is more robust and feature filled. There are a bunch more out there to choose from. Just choose one, and get started.

Namecheap – When I polled a slew of engineers which domain hosting service to go with, this was the clear winner.

A few encouraging quotes

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

– Michael Jordan

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.

– Winston Churchill

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

– Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear, Frank Herbert’s Dune